A recent regular return guest recently wrote to us to complement our upgrades for this season. It’s much better to use his words:

It was nice to see the many new updates at Casa Cupula this year and we really hated leaving today, our trip ended too quickly.

The new equipment, massage room, and steam room will be very nice additions to PUMP Gym. We enjoyed using the new Apple TV on Monday and Tuesday when it rained and used it to play Apple Radio throughout the trip. The new Dolce Gusto coffee maker was fun to use each morning and made very good coffee, too. The Unplug Challenge is genius! We took advantage of the 3-day challenge and had dinner Friday evening at the roof top pool. The chef at Taste really outdid himself with that dinner – we had way too much to eat, but truly enjoyed that special treat and service was outstanding.

Thanks for noticing, Tim, and thanks for letting us know. Remember to Unplug With Us and win 50% off dinners and massages, or even a free night! Our private “Romance Under the Stars” dinners are more popular than ever, and a great way to splurge with someone special, especially for birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons or other occasions. Book online using our Online Concierge!

More than two-thirds of North America is already socked into Arctic temperatures, which means Puerto Vallarta is swinging into another High Season, boasting picture perfect weather and no shortage of outdoor activities.

Early December through mid-March is the peak of whale watching season in the blue waters of Banderas Bay as the Calfornia Humpback migrates to our peaceful sanctuary to procreate the next generation.

Ocean Friendly Tours offers three types of tours that operate during the whale watching season from December 8th – March 23rd annually.

Casa Cupula has partnered with rock star “whale whisperer” Oscar Frey’s Ocean Friendly Tours from the beginning and we’re proud to announce the start of another season of collaborating with this awesome company.

Oscar Frey began his research studies on Banderas Bay in the early 1990’s. He and his colleagues continue to research and record the Humpback whales as they arrive during their annual migration to the Puerto Vallarta area.

Joining Oscar on one of his whale watching excursions is not a spectator’s sport. In fact, you’re right in the middle of the action as Oscar actively tracks and records the behavior of the Humpback population of Banderas Bay. He knows most of the whales by name. Like identifying a fingerprint, he can identify them individually by their unique tail patterns.

Discover the marvels of the whale world on board a customized fiberglass boat and listen to the tonal songs of the Humpback whales with underwater hydrophone and speaker systems.

Ocean Friendly Tours offers daily and customized tours to discover the realm of whales. dolphins and other species throughout Banderas Bay’s expansive waters. All tours are led by a bilingual marine scientist, naturalists and a specialized safety crew. All of their tours are led with complete compliance to the official Mexican whale watching regulations and with the safety of our guests and the whales being our two most important thoughts at all times.

Tour groups are small and intimate, and thanks to the popularity of these tours, spaces fill up fast. As a result, prearrival planning is highly recommended via our Online Concierge or directly contacting your Casa Cupula Concierge at 1-866-352-2511 ext. 142 or concierge@casacupula.com.

Chef Cesar Barajas has put his mark on Taste Restaurant’s cuisine for the 2014-5 season, with exciting new gourmet dishes that will make your mouth water. Continuing with our three cuisines: Mexican, Mediterranean and Asian, Chef Barajas has brought new dishes to each area, along with broadening our selection of “D’Autor” items, where the chef has a chance to be more inventive.

Starting with appetizers, a carpaccio of fresh octopus, marinated in Chile de Arbol, served with a salad of organic lettuces, radish, cucumber and cilantro hummus makes a light and fresh way to start your dining experience.

Starting with the Asian menu, you will enjoy our noodles sauteed in sesame oil, accompanied by your choice of chicken, shrimp or tofu. It has a dusting of peanuts and chile de arbol for a unique marriage of flavors.

Perhaps our most interesting new dish is Mahi Mahi cooked in the leaves of the “hoja santa” plant. This plant is common in Yucatan, and has a flavor you might find is reminiscent of anise and basil. The fish is steamed inside the leaf, and covered with a delicious red pibil sauce (orange and achiote), and accompanied with a plantain puree and sauteed vegetables. This is a pleasant but rich and unique flavor you’ll remember and want to have again!

This summer our staff had the enviable job of trying numerous dishes proposed by the Chef, and rating them on taste and presentation. As a result, we updated our famous black ravioli with a creamy shrimp sauce, filled with goat cheese, honey and thyme. This was one of our favorites.

All dishes are available in full or Taste (half-plate) sizes, so you can try more. Next week: The D’Autor menu. But you can look for yourself at www.taste.com.mx.

Based on a recent report by the Pew Research Center, Casa Cupula‘s host country of Mexico has been rewarded the title of “The Happiest Place on Earth” based on the overall happiness of people around the world when asked.

This report is based on actually polling directly the citizens of each individual country

And based on our recent guest commentaries on TripAdvisor, we’d like to think the positivity is contagious! It seems that not just the locals, but the millions of visitors who vacation to Mexico each year seem to be quite pleased.

Mexicans answered 79% were happy with their life, the highest number in the world.

Isreal came in at 75%, while the Americans came in at 65% being happy with their life.

The poll also found that Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and El Salvador ranked ahead of the United States in happiness.

This report is based on polling the citizens of countries around the world, unlike similar reports that determine individual happiness on the countries economic and social policies, not the overall happiness of the residents.

While we have always been happy to refer our guests to some of the less intimate LGBT-oriented booze cruises, the pure gaze of bliss that we observe on their faces when they return from this day on Banderas Bay is incomparable.

The tour is flexible, we organize both 4 and 6 hour sailings based on the group’s consensus. The Ada sails out based on an 8 passenger minimum, and we keep the group intimate at no more than 15-16 maximum.

The day can be as active or relaxing as you’d like it to be, with snorkeling, private beach hopping, kayaks, and even a turn at steering the boat all available as options.

And while some might say that once you’ve done one sailboat charter, you’ve done them all, what really sets the Ada apart from any other water-based excursion on Banderas Bay is their succulent and mouth watering menu. The Ada not only boasts an open bar of fun and unique signature cocktails and decadent pass around appetizers, but their gourmet lunch menu offers some of the finest cuisine you’ll experience in an already foodie’s paradise destination.

Taste Restaurant offers a unique new menu for the 2014-15 season, with special dishes created by Chef Cesar Barajas celebrating Mexican, Asian and Mediterranean cuisines.

An example is the new Mahi Mahi baked in a tropical Hoja Santa leaf with Red Pibil Sauce. The combination of flavors is something unusual that you simply must try. The Hoja Santa leaf is commonly used in Mexican cuisine from Yucatan.

While membership to Pump is always included for all in-house guests, we are pleased to announce our Local Day Pass & Membership promos, available with your local or Mexican government issued ID (IFE, Driver’s License, FM3, FM2, permanent residency, etc.)

Through Dec. 21st, “patasalada” rates on Memberships and Day Passes will be available in:

Memberships will not only be available for purchase at Casa Cupula Reception and Taste Restaurant, but we’ll also soon be announcing partnership at various points around Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romantica.

Hours of Operation this season will be Monday through Friday, 8am – 8pm, Saturday, 10am – 6pm and Sunday, 10am – 4pm. For more information, please give us a call at 322-223-2484 ext. 142 (locally) or 1-866-352-2511 ext. 142 (internationally).

Seems like the news media is always trying to scare us. Much of this generates from Republican talking points, designed to hurt President Obama. They are spewed out by Faux News, and repeated by Lindsay Graham saying “We’re ALL GONNA DIE!” How have these horrible end-of-world scenarios worked out?

Gay Marriage was supposed to be the end of “traditional marriage”. How many straight divorces have been caused by gay marriage. Anyone? I’m off to marry my dogs, since that was what was supposed to happen next, and Conchita is really pretty.

Our “unguarded” border has supposedly allowed entry of Ebola carrying, ISIS allegiant, Mexican and South American terrorists to the US, whose children would join gangs. Hasn’t happened. Have those kids who arrived in the summer been terrorizing their elementary schools?

Attacking Childhood Obesity in school lunches by requiring real vegetables instead of pizza sauce, would take away parent’s freedom to make their children fat. Well that may be true, childhood obesity has fallen 43% among 2-5 year olds!

Mexican drug gangs were supposed to kill US and Canadian tourists. Yes, there is sometimes drug violence just like in Chicago and Vancouver. No, not at tourists.

Swine Flu pandemic was going to kill everyone so everyone cancelled reservations for travel to Mexico. Do you remember Swine flu? That’s because deaths from it were lower than from a regular year’s flu season. Now Ebola is the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse.